Surprise! Too Hot to Handle's Nicole and Bryce Started Dating After the Show Taped

Nicole and Bryce connected in Mexico after the Netflix reality series wrapped filming.

They opened up about their long-distance relationship in an interview with OprahMag.com.

Too Hot to Handle, a new Netflix reality series, challenges 14 attractive singles to form relationships without hooking up. Ironically, cast members Nicole O'Brien, 24, and Bryce Hirschberg, 29, only found their romantic connection after Too Hot to Handle wrapped.

After three weeks filming Too Hot to Handle, the entire cast gathered at a hotel in Mexico for a few days to decompress. "[Nicole and I] really bonded," Bryce tells OprahMag.com.

Without the cameras, Nicole finally had time to get to know Bryce—and that made all the difference. "He wasn't really my cuppa tea at the start," Nicole admits. "But getting to know him more and more, we formed a proper bond and connection."

While Too Hot to Handle's setting was literally designed to foster romance, Nicole and Bryce's connection grew organically. "We thrived in the real world," Bryce says.

Courtesy of Netflix

Perhaps that's because the "made-up world," as Bruce calls Too Hot to Handle,was not as conducive to exploring romantic relationships as Lana, or the series' producers, may have hoped. On the show, each instance of physical touch results in money docked from the $100,000 collective prize. Even a kiss comes at the costly price of $3,000.

When Bryce, who was part of the show's second wave of cast members, arrived at the villa, he was swarmed by the cast's self-proclaimed rule-enforcers (a.k.a Kelz and Matt).

"Everyone was very strict on me. I had the big boys say, 'Do not break a rule or you won't be welcome,'" Bryce recalls. "We became more lenient on people who were in relationships and were growing. If they wanted to have a kiss, then they earned it."

"I’ve kept this a secret a whole year."

That meant couples who like Harry Jowsey and Francesca Farago, who connected on Day One, were free to explore their relationship—but everyone else held back to preserve the prize. Essentially, Bryce and Nicole never had a chance to be Too Hot to Handle's golden couple (until now).

Though they didn't meet on Too Hot to Handle, Nicole still credits the show for making their relationship possible. "It changed me completely. [Now] I really want personality, and someone who is willing to commit to me," Nicole says.

Courtesy of Netflix

Nicole and Bryce have been dating long-distance ever since April 2019, traveling between London and L.A. However, quarantine has posed a particular challenge for their continent-spanning relationship. "I booked to go see him in June and July. I don't know if that’s going to happen now," Nicole says. "We FaceTime all the time—it's the way to keep in contact."

On the bright side, with the release of Too Hot to Handle, Nicole and Bryce can finally be open about their relationship. "I’ve kept this a secret a whole year," Nicole says.

The couple has had to keep mum about their Too Hot to Handle experiences with everyone except their fellow co-stars. As a result, they're at the center of Too Hot to Handle's bustling clique.

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Bryce's Santa Monica houseboat has become the location for manyToo Hot to Handle castreunions in the year since the show wrapped filming. David Birtwistle, Kelz Dyke, and Matthew Smith stopped by before a Vegas road trip, as did Francesca and her friends. Rhonda Paul, Lydia Clyma, and Madison Wyborny flew over for the Fourth of July. Bryce even got a Too Hot to Handle roommate: After moving to L.A. from Australia, Harry lived on the houseboat for over a month before getting his own place.

"Everyone has had the boat experience," Bryce says, adding that he talks to the cast 'pretty much every day.'"

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Similarly, Nicole's social life revolves around Too Hot to Handle. Nicole calls fellow cast member Chloe Veitch her "soul mate." The London-based duo hope to move in together and start a podcast. "We want to sort out people’s issues and boy problems," Nicole explains.

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Many of Nicole and Bryce's big plans are on pause due to quarantine, but they're still dreaming. Nicole, who currently works in sales, plans to launch a lingerie line later this year. "I want women to have affordable lingerie that makes them feel sexy and empowered," she says.

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